CLEVELAND, Ohio (Nov. 24, 2023) – The ETSU men's basketball team netted a season-high 13 three-pointers, while three Buccaneers scored in double figures – including Ebby Asamoah and Quimari Peterson each scoring over 20 points – as the Blue & Gold bounced Alabama A&M 82-71 on Friday night inside Cleveland State's Woodling Gymnasium.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Thirteen of ETSU's 25 made field goals went for three-pointers as the Bucs shot 42 percent from long distance and 45 percent from the field (25-56). The Bucs finished 19-of-29 at the free throw line. 
• ETSU forced 14 turnovers and turned them into 18 points, while both teams finished 22 points in the paint. 
• The Blue & Gold won the battle on the glass, 36-34, and were plus-four in offensive rebounds, 13-9. 
• The Bucs assisted on 15 of their 25 made field goals Friday night.
• ETSU scored 44 second-half points, marking the third time this season the Bucs scored over 40 in the second half. 
• The Bucs led for over 30 minutes of the contest, while the game featured three ties and three lead changes.
• Along with the season-high 13 made threes, ETSU also set season highs in points scored and made free throws. 
• With the win, ETSU improved to 3-3 overall and Alabama A&M dipped to 0-4. The Bucs are now 2-0 all-time against SWAC teams. 

TOP PERFORMERS 

• Ebby Asamoah led all scorers with 22 points (20 in the second half), while Quimari Peterson scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help guide the Bucs to the victory.
• To go with his 22 points, Asamoah grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists. The Buccaneer grad transfer went 9-of-12 at the free throw line and knocked three triples. 
• Peterson, who collected his second 20-plus scoring game of the season, pulled down four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The Gary, Ind. native was 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. 
• Jaden Seymour was the other Buccaneer to score in double figures as he registered 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and posted two steals in 32 minutes. 
• Maki Johnson provided a spark off the bench as he scored a season-high nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from long range, grabbed two rebounds, had one assist and one steal. 
• Karon Boyd stuffed the stat sheet as he ended with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. 
• Alabama A&M was led by Dailin Smith's 20-point performance. 

GAME SUMMARY
The Bucs got tremendous production from Peterson, Johnson and Seymour in the first half as ETSU took a 38-36 lead into the break. The Buccaneer trio, who combined to shoot 11-of-14 from the field, accounted for 30 of ETSU's first-half points. 
 
Johnson provided the spark early as he hit back-to-back threes to put the Blue & Gold ahead 11-5, while his third triple of the half made it 16-13 in favor of the Bucs at the 11:51 mark. Peterson then got hot as he scored the next 16 points for the Bucs, while a pair of free throws by Asamoah capped an 11-0 run and ETSU led 34-27 with just under three minutes left in the stanza. However, the Bulldogs went on to score nine of the final 13 points and pulled within two at intermission. 
 
With Peterson doing his damage in the first half, Asamoah carried the load in the second. After going 0-of-4 in the opening 20 minutes, Asamoah went 5-of-9 from the field (3-4 from three) and 7-of-9 at the free throw line to help secure the win. 
 
The Bucs opened the half by pushing their lead into double digits when a three-pointer by Seymour made it a 50-40 score with exactly 17 minutes remaining. 
 
ETSU controlled the momentum and took its largest lead of the night when a pair of free throws by Asamoah pushed the advantage to 16, 63-47, at the 9:56 mark. 
 
The Bucs led by 16 two other times on the night, but Alabama A&M chipped away at the deficit. The Bulldogs made it a six-point game at 73-67 with 3:32 remaining and had a chance to inch closer, but a defensive rebound by Peterson led to a jumper by Asamoah with just under three minutes to go. ETSU never let the Bulldogs pose another threat and the Bucs came away with a win at the Viking Invitational. 
 
UP NEXT 
The Bucs continue their road swing as ETSU makes the short trek over to Boone, N.C. to take on Appalachian State on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. 
  
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.